Blood seeped from the corner of Victor's lips—proof that Akainu's Haki was superior. In a contest of brute strength, Victor wasn't afraid, but Akainu's Haki had already invaded his body, wreaking havoc from within.
Neither man paused after the impact. Their bodies clashed at blinding speeds—fists colliding one moment, legs sweeping the next.
Thanks to Sengoku's intervention, neither used anything beyond pure physical combat and Haki. Yet, their battle was so intense that it defied common sense. Shockwaves from their collisions rippled outward, forcing the spectators back repeatedly.
Only a handful of onlookers could keep up with their movements. Victor and Akainu moved like blurs, their Observation Haki allowing them to trade blows with terrifying precision.
Akainu's reflexes were razor-sharp, his combat instincts honed to perfection. He seized every opening, forcing Victor to rely on sheer speed just to defend himself. Though Victor managed to hold his ground, he couldn't land any decisive hits.
Both men bore injuries, but Victor's were far worse. His martial skill surpassed Akainu's, but his Haki simply wasn't enough.
Akainu had expected an easy victory. Instead, he found himself battered and humiliated. His fury burned hotter than his magma.
The fight escalated.
Both fighters now wielded Ryuo, their advanced Armament Haki tearing the battlefield apart. The once-neat training grounds looked like a meteor had struck—shattered, uneven, littered with debris.
An hour passed. Victor's body screamed in agony. Akainu's Ryuo had infiltrated his muscles, damaging them from within. The situation was dire.
Victor could no longer spare a thought for the worried faces in the crowd. His entire focus was on survival.
"If this keeps up, I'll end up crippled. Akainu isn't Kaido—I can't afford that outcome!"
But Victor wasn't out of tricks.
Though his Haki was inferior, he had other weapons.
He condensed sword aura into his fists, then wrapped them in Haki.
This was the "Swordsmanship Without a Sword" technique—something akin to Zoro's "No-Sword Style." Victor had mastered it long ago.
Akainu's body began to bleed.
Even as a Logia user, unless he actively turned into magma, Haki-infused attacks could still wound him. That was the nature of Haki—ordinary attacks triggered passive elemental intangibility, but Haki-forced strikes required active evasion.
"You think you're the only one who knows swordsmanship?" Akainu sneered.
In his youth, Akainu had trained with blades. But after obtaining his overpowered Devil Fruit, he'd abandoned the sword.
Now, his strikes carried traces of sword aura—though far cruder than Victor's.
The battle shifted.
Before, their injuries had been internal, with only superficial bruises. But now, visible wounds marred their bodies.
Victor's superior physique meant his cuts were shallow. Akainu, however, bled heavily.
To minimize damage, Akainu was forced to reinforce his Haki defenses, deflecting Victor's sword-energy strikes. The advantage swung back to him.
Then, Victor remembered Shinki.
He'd used it to wound Queen. Shinki had a unique property—it could bypass Haki defenses.
"What if I fuse Shinki with my Haki?"
Mid-exchange, Victor experimented.
At first, simply layering Shinki achieved little. His control wasn't refined enough—the energy scattered harmlessly between Akainu's cells.
But when he merged Shinki with Ryuo, the effect was devastating.
The first strike sent Akainu coughing blood. His internal organs had been damaged.
Akainu stared in shock.
"How? His Ryuo couldn't penetrate me before!"
Victor's earlier attempts had been crushed by Akainu's Haki. Now, they tore straight through.
"Is Victor… winning?"
"That hit looked brutal!"
"First time I've seen Akainu spit blood!"
"He's finished, hahaha!"
"Vice Admiral Sakazuki would never lose! He just got careless!" one of Akainu's loyalists snarled.
"Exactly! He hasn't even used his Devil Fruit!"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku forbade it! Is he breaking the rules?"
"Rules? Who cares? This isn't his full power!"
"And Victor hasn't even drawn his swords! Does that mean he's holding back too?"
While the crowd argued, Akainu took several more hits.
His body burned with pain. No amount of training could toughen internal organs—internal injuries were always severe.
This wasn't the Akainu of the future. His Ryuo mastery wasn't yet flawless. Against a more refined user like Kaido, Victor's Shinki trick wouldn't have worked.
But Akainu heard the whispers.
"Losing?"
Failure was unacceptable. He needed power—absolute power—to fulfill his vision.
The mention of his Devil Fruit ignited something in him.
Rules be damned.
"MEIGO!"
A molten hound's maw of magma erupted toward Victor.
"Holy shit, Akainu, you cheating bastard!" Victor barely dodged in time.
Where he'd stood moments ago, a bubbling pool of lava now seethed, scorching heat radiating outward.
The crowd scrambled back in panic.
"He actually used it!"
"No shame at all! A Vice Admiral going back on his word!"
"Did Sakazuki ever 'promise' not to? Did you hear him say it?"
"Disgraceful! A stain on the Marines!"
Victor wiped blood from his mouth, eyes locked on Akainu.
"Fine. If that's how you want to play…"
His hand twitched toward where his swords should have been—before remembering he'd given them to Rebecca.
A grim smile tugged at his lips.
"Guess we're doing this the hard way."
"What do you kids understand? In this era, power is the only truth. Strength is the foundation of everything!"
"Rebecca, pull yourself together! Victor will be fine!" Wendy grabbed Rebecca, who was swaying unsteadily.
"But I keep seeing images of Victor's legs being burned off... I'm so scared!" Rebecca's heart pounded the moment Akainu unleashed his Devil Fruit powers.
"You need to stay calm! Victor might counterattack at any moment—and when he does, he'll need the swords in your hands!"
"You're right... Victor still needs me. I have to stay strong!"
By now, the battlefield was littered with pools of molten lava. Victor had no choice but to evade using Geppo, staying airborne to avoid direct contact with the magma. His body and Haki weren't strong enough to withstand it yet.
"Rebecca!" Victor suddenly shouted.
Snapping out of her daze, Rebecca immediately hurled Chikara toward him.
With a swift movement, Victor caught the blade mid-air. The moment it left its sheath, sword aura erupted, slicing through the incoming magma blasts. The slashes didn't stop there—some continued toward Akainu, while others streaked toward nearby buildings.
Akainu dodged by turning into magma, letting the attacks phase through him. But the sword aura carved deep gashes into the ground, flipping chunks of earth like shattered tiles.
The slashes that hit the buildings cleaved entire rows of structures in half, only stopping when the energy dissipated. The training grounds were now unrecognizable, and the surrounding area hadn't fared much better.
"SAKAZIKI! VICTOR! STOP THIS AT ONCE!"
A thunderous roar, accompanied by a wave of Conqueror's Haki, swept through the area.
Most of the spectators collapsed unconscious. Only a handful remained standing.
"This is... Conqueror's Haki?!" Victor's expression darkened.
Sengoku had been rushing over the moment Akainu used his Devil Fruit. He had been monitoring the fight with Observation Haki, and while the outcome wasn't catastrophic, it wasn't ideal either.
Buildings and training grounds were destroyed, but thankfully, no one had died—just a few injuries.
Both combatants were wounded, but at least they were still in one piece.
"If I had arrived any later, you two would have demolished the entire recruit training sector! Was this really necessary for a simple spar?" Sengoku's voice was stern.
Neither Victor nor Akainu responded. They both knew this had never been just a spar.
"Sakazuki! Return to G-1 Base tomorrow. There's no need for you to stay at Headquarters—the New World's situation is unstable enough as it is."
Akainu said nothing. After a long, penetrating glare at Victor, he turned and left, with Onigumo trailing behind him.
Seeing Akainu depart, Victor sheathed Chikara.
"Victor, don't overthink it. Sakazuki was just nursing his wounded pride after being challenged by a recruit. Onigumo has always been his loyal subordinate. Today, you two crossed blades and gained mutual respect. Now that he knows your strength, he won't trouble you again. Just focus on your own path from now on."
Sengoku sighed inwardly. He had watched the entire battle with Observation Haki and knew Akainu had taken serious damage. Maybe there was an element of underestimation, but the fact that Victor had managed to injure him at all was impressive.
'Seventeen years old... and already at this level.'
"Let him come. Next time, I'll put him on the ground." Victor's tone was indifferent.
Sengoku rubbed his temples. 'Troublesome, both of them.'
"Andrew, Victor is admitted directly into the Elite Training Program. This place is no longer usable for assessments, and most of the recruits are in no condition to continue. Take them to the Elite Training Sector tomorrow for the remaining tests."
Andrew barely suppressed an eye-roll. "No condition? They're unconscious—thanks to you!" But he wisely kept that thought to himself.
Victor ignored Sengoku, walking straight toward Rebecca and Wendy. After rejoining them, he left without another word.
Sengoku watched Victor's retreating figure with a sigh. He knew Victor was dissatisfied with him, but what could he do? The Navy wasn't a monolith. With the weight of the entire Marine organization on his shoulders, he had to consider the bigger picture.